Yesterday, it was reported by BGR that AT&T has been intentionally swaying customers to purchase any smartphone outside of the iPhone. AT&T has since responded to these claims, outright denying any of these accusations and noting that the idea “couldn’t be more farfetched.” AT&T provided the following statement to 9to5Mac in response to the allegations:

The idea that we would steer any customer away from a particular device couldn’t be more farfetched. Our reps do what it takes to align customer needs with the best device for them. iPhone remains one of our most popular devices, which doesn’t happen by steering people away from it. Our reps are encouraged to try all devices so they are more knowledgeable on our industry-leading smartphone lineup.

While AT&T has refuted the idea that its retail employees are expected to push its Android or Windows Phone smartphone offerings, perhaps it is not the worst idea after all considering that Apple is rumored to release its next-generation iPhone in September with a taller and thinner design, LTE connectivity and a myriad of other new features.